


Any Captain Worth Her Salt

by monokowritesstuff



Category: Touhou Project, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-01-09 06:04:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 18,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12270408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monokowritesstuff/pseuds/monokowritesstuff
Summary: Captain Murasa Minamitsu invites a crew of 8 spirited away humans to join her on her beloved ship, in order to save Gensokyo from a threat far beyond anything ever seen there before, one that threatens the very balance of the eastern wonderland. (Currently under a heavy rewriting process!)





	1. Prologue

Murasa Minamitsu had never been one to sit around and do absolutely nothing with her life, or lack thereof. When she began to live her afterlife freely with Byakuren, she vowed to never let herself be idle. After all, anything could happen here in Gensokyo, and the last thing she wanted was for her savior to be sealed in Makai once more. However... this time was different. The Palanquin had fallen into a state of disrepair, as she hadn't been on an adventure or pilgrimage with the rest of the Myouren Temple denezins in months, ever since the conclusion of the Seirensen Incident. Desperate for _something_ to do, Murasa had turned to the Hakurei Shrine, hoping that the resident shrine maiden either had some mundane task for her, or was itching for a skirmish of some sort just as much as she was. As she reached the peak of the countless stone steps, however, she noticed a set of unfamiliar faces loitering about the front of the shrine, along with Reimu, who was watching warily from the doorframe. Sitting at her feet was a young man in a dark, long sleeved coat, his eyes partially shaded by a huge hat with golden emblems attached to it. His face was settled into an expression of stark disapproval. Next to him sat a girl who looked to be much, much younger than him, her hair done up in two green buns. Her arms were folded over her exposed midriff, and her green-tinted lips were curled into a slight mirth filled smirk. They were watching a young man with an excessively long pompadour outfitted in a baggy purple school uniform argue with a golden haired boy in what seemed to be a blue suit who looked to be about the same age.

"Giorno, I'm telling you, this just isn't right! Miss Reimu's hospitality is nice and all, but something about this whole situation is rubbing me the wrong way." The pompadoured boy said, gesturing wildly.

"And what would you know about things not being right? Miss Reimu has been nothing but kind to us since we got here, and you're only _now_ getting suspicious?!" the one who Murasa assumed to be Giorno snarled.

Reimu had been standing idly by, watching the drama unfold, when suddenly she noticed Murasa awkwardly standing at the top of the stairs. The shrine maiden hastily pushed past the young man in the coat and his his sitting companion, excusing herself profusely. She slipped past the arguing pair, and came to stand in front of the ship ghost, attempting to block her view of them.

"Well, hello there, um..." said the shrine maiden, who was unusually bubbly at the moment.

"Murasa." she replied, raising her eyebrow.

"Ah, yes, yes, you're right. What brings you here today, Murasa?"

"Nothing in particular, in all honesty. I was just looking for something to occupy my time."

She peeked over Reimu's shoulder at Giorno and the pompadoured boy, as their argument had gotten more heated during their exchange. Eventually, the two had started to shout at eachother, fists clenched. The shrine maiden's face drained of most of its colour, and she dashed towards them, her teeth clenched into an angry grimace. This was the Reimu that Murasa was used to. She held both of their ears in a vice grip, and began to lecture them in a voice that was not as hushed as she thought it was.

"I've put up with your childish bickering up to this point, but what I won't entertain is an actual fight on these sacred grounds. Either get yourselves together, or find a new place to not get eaten by youkai. Do I make myself clear?"

The two nodded solemnly, clearly embarrassed, and shared a brisk handshake. The girl on the steps could not hold back her laughter any longer at this point, and began to cackle incessantly, punching her companion on the steps in the shoulder many times, taking no notice of the angry glare he was shooting her way. She managed to calm herself down, her expression eventually setting into one of mock pity.

"I'd expect this from Josuke, but not from you, Giorno!" she said, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. "I haven't had a laugh like that in forever."

"Hush, Jolyne. They've both had their pride hurt enough." her partner sitting beside her replied, "And besides, if Reimu turns on us, then there's no way I'm helping you out of this."

"Tch, Jotaro, you're such a wet noodle! There's no harm in making a little fun out of something like this, especially considering how we just got dumped here out of nowhere."

"Even still, Reimu is probably just trying to keep up her reputation in front of her _guest_."

Murasa, who had been staring uneasily at her boots to avoid conflict, jolted, her head snapping up to make herself look better in the eyes of those present. The young man in the coat who Murasa deducted to be Jotaro was staring right at her, his initial disapproving look not faltering by even a bit. To her chagrin, both the arguing boys and the girl sitting next to him were also looking at her, with looks of both curiosity and confusion. 

"It's alright for you to come introduce yourself, Murasa. I know you were trying to avoid getting in the middle of all this, but there's no point in that any more." Reimu rubbed her temples and sighed heavily. "I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you. If you'll excuse me, however, I'll have to be going. I've got an appointment with Yuyuko."

And with that, she turned tail and began to fly to goodness knows where. Before she got too far, however, she imparted one last thought onto them:

"Don't destroy my shrine while I'm gone."

She then disappeared into the clouds, understandably adamant to get away from all this ruckus. However, this left Murasa at the mercies of the odd residents, who were still staring at her. They all sat in silence for a while, none of them willing to start a conversation. Eventually, the ship ghost gave them an awkward wave, and an equally clumsy smile.

"Um... I'm Murasa Minamitsu, one of Miss Reimu's... 'friends'. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Likewise. Pardon the behavior of my associates. We're not all fully... _adjusted_ , to this world." Giorno responded with a pointed glance at Josuke. "I am Giorno Giovanna."

"Whatever, Giorno. I'm Josuke Higashikata. Nice to meet ya." the pompadoured boy said with a roll of his eyes. "Why don't you go next, Jolyne? Or should I call you Sea Witch, in light of all that cackling?"

"Go to hell, Josuke." Jolyne waved him off. "Jolyne Cujoh. It's a pleasure."

"I'm Jotaro Kujo. And yes, there's a difference." said her compatriot idly.

Another hush fell over them, that is, until the shrine doors clattered open with a loud bang.

"Who in the Sam Hill _hell_ unravelled my scarf like this?!"

The man who had burst through the doors had a hairstyle more wild than Josuke's, and a bold British accent to boot. Clutched in his hand was a ratty piece of cloth, with loose threads hanging out of it here and there. Adorning its length were green and yellow stripes that had long since had the colour washed out of them and tiny burn marks, both of which gave hints to its age.

"I'll have their heads, I swear!" he angrily said, brandishing it as if it were some weapon of war.

"Now, there's no need to be so violent, Joseph." someone behind him said, their own voice even more heavily accented. "I'm sure that it's just that your scarf hasn't aged all that well. It  _is_  quite old."

"...While that is true, it doesn't excuse the fact that–"

His eyes widened when he saw Murasa, and his face immediately settled into a sly grin.

"And who might you be, ma'am? I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting."

"Murasa. Murasa Minamitsu. And who are you?"

"Joseph Joestar, at your service! But you can call me... Anytime."

Everyone around him groaned in unison, including Murasa herself.

"Well aren't you quite the charmer?" she said, trying not to hurt his feelings. "It's a shame, really. I'm not really... Interested, but it's very sweet of you to offer."

"You don't have to let him down so gently, Mura." remarked Jolyne. "He can take a hit."

"I can only imagine what Suzie Q'll say when she finds out." Jotaro added with a smug chuckle.

"Woah, no need to get hasty there! Suzie doesn't need to know anything about this!"

"I dunno, Mr. Joestar..." said Josuke, just as smug. "Isn't communication the most important part of a relationship.?"

"Well, yes, but–"

"And besides," interjected Giorno. "You would want her to do the same for you,  _right_?"

Joseph opened his mouth to defend himself, but another man came out of the shrine and laid a hand on his shoulder. Despite being about the same height as Joseph, the second man had a much larger build, making him extremely intimidating.

"That's enough, you all." he said, his voice surprisingly light and gentle. "Lady Hakurei wouldn't want us to be acting like this in her absence. It reflects badly on the shrine."

Murasa was in awe at how this man seemed to control the mood of an entire room with just his voice, which had a constant hopeful tone to it. She felt safe just being around him.

"Oh, we have a visitor!" he regarded her with a pleasantly warm smile. "How do you do? I am Jonathan Joestar. I don't believe I caught your name, actually? It'd be rude not to ask, regardless."

"Ah, I'm Murasa Minamitsu. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jonathan. And I'm quite well, thank you for asking."

She couldn't help but to beam at him as well, as he seemed to radiate an infectiously positive energy. While this wasn't what she was expecting to find at the shrine, she was happy nonetheless, as this group of oddly dressed characters was occupying her time more than she had expected them to.

"So, how did you lot end up here? It's not often we get new faces around here." she passively said, trying to make conversation.

"To be frank with you, we don't even know." said Joseph, not missing a beat. "One moment we were home, the next we ended up here. It was a pretty nasty shock."

"That sounds like it must have been! Has Gensokyo been treating you well, since you've arrived?"

"Not exactly." said Jotaro. "The shrine maiden tried to attack us when we first got here."

"She didn't just  _try,_ " corrected Josuke. "Those sealing needle things are no joke, is all I'll say."

"You thought the  _sealing needles_  were bad?! Try getting smacked in the face with one of those orb things!" contested Jolyne.

"I want both of you to get both shot with one of those bullet things and then almost stabbed in the eye with that stick thing she has, and  _then_  you can talk to me about  _pain_." said Joseph with a grimace.

"Although," sighed Jonathan, cutting their complaining session short. "Besides all of that nonsense, along with seemingly being trapped here, there haven't been any other misfortunate happenings, thankfully."

"Albeit, the whole 'not being able to get home' thing is pretty crummy in itself." interjected Jolyne.

"Trust me, I know how... violent, Reimu can get." Murasa said with an awkward chuckle. "Though, we don't get many groups of people here though, so it's very interesting that you managed to both come together and  _stay_ together."

"Yes, that may be true, but the fact that we probably can't ever go home is kinda taking precedence here."

"No need to be so pessimistic! There's still a chance for you all."

"What do you mean?" questioned Josuke.

"Did Reimu tell you about Yukari? She might be able to get you home."

"Really now?" said Giorno. "She didn't, actually. Why don't you tell us more, signorina?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it'd be rude of me not to. Yukari is the youkai that manages the borders between here and the outside world. If there's anyone who can get you back to where you need to be, it's her."

They all looked at eachother, and then back at her her in surprise.

"Where is this Yukari lady?" said Jolyne, failing to conceal the excitement in her voice.

"Reimu said she was going to visit Yuyuko, right? Then she's bound to run into Yukari. I bet she'll talk to her all about your situation, and you all'll be outta here in no time!"

"This is wonderful!" exclaimed Jonathan. "We'll be getting home sooner than we could have ever imagined!"

"There's only one problem with that." said a voice from above.

Reimu landed ungracefully in their midst, looking disheveled and worn down to her limit.

"Lady Hakurei? What's the matter?"

She sighed and pressed her fingers to her temples.

"Yukari's been kidnapped."


	2. Chapter 1

"S-She what?!" exclaimed Murasa.

"She's been kidnapped, like I said." Reimu removed the ribbon from her hair in one swift motion, letting her chocolate brown hair fall onto her shoulders in waves. "When I got there, things were fine at first, but a little after Yuyuko and I began to talk, Ran, who was carrying an injured Chen, and Youmu, who was bruised and bloodied herself, stormed into the room, shouting about God knows what. We managed to calm them down for the most part, and they explained that Yukari had been forcefully taken from her place of residence, by some man in all yellow with blonde hair. Both Ran and Chen tried to stop her kidnapper, but he easily overpowered them. Youmu then continued on to say that she had also encountered him, trying her best to stop him from reaching here, but he also bested her. And then..."

Reimu paused and deeply inhaled, trying to steady her composure. She fiddled with the ribbon in her hands, unable to gather her thoughts in a coherent manner. Eventually, she spoke, a noticable waver embedded in her voice.

"He came to get us, as well. I've never seen anyone that... Imposing, I'll say, in my life. He had an air of authority around him; and an overwhelming sensuality unbefitting any mortal being. It was terrifying, but also awe inducing... But, regardless, he came to kidnap us, too, and it didn't look like he would take no for an answer. I had to fight for my life to escape from him. I... I don't know what happened to Yuyuko. Or Youmu, for that matter. All I know for sure is that he's taken over Hakugyokurou, and Yukari is trapped there with him."

Jotaro, Joseph, and Jonathan shared a knowing look between themselves, sighing in unison.

"Listen, with all due respect, Reimu, this is more serious than you could ever imagine." said Jotaro.

"Not only is, um... that place that starts with an H in danger, but the rest of this world is too, if you're talking about who we think you are." Joseph continued.

"Could you please describe the assailant in further detail?" said Jonathan. "We can't be sure of anything, quite yet."

"Well... He was very tall, very muscular, and his clothes were green and yellow with hearts all over them. And... His face was a cruel kind of beautiful. The kind where the person knows that they can use their beauty for malicious things, and either will do or have already done so."

"If that's the case..." Jonathan trailed off.

"Then it's worse than we feared." Jotaro stood and sighed once more. "You've just encountered a very dangerous individual."

"I don't understand. Yes, this is indeed an unfortunate situation, but he simply caught me by surprise. It's not like I can't—"

"Like you said, you really don't understand what we're dealing with here, toots. This man... This man is more powerful than you could ever imagine." Joseph interrupted.

"Even if we were to want to try and stop him, there would be so much sacrifice in the name of the cause, and even then it'd probably be for naught." said Jonathan solemnly. "I'm afraid that this world may be doomed if we don't find a way to put a stop to this."

"But, you guys stopped him before, right? Twice, even?" Josuke added airily. "What's keeping you from doing it again? Clearly he's not as bad as you're making him out to be."

"You're missing the point. This isn't your average everyday person, Josuke. He has both the potential and the ambition to destroy things, and he damn sure won't let anything stop him." retorted Jotaro.

"And besides, if we had the manpower  _to_  stop him, it's not like we could even get to where he is in the first place. Miss Reimu had to fly, and none of us could even dream of doing that." said Joseph, slicking his hair back.

"Um... I don't mean to interrupt, but..." Murasa shuddered at the 7 pairs of eyes coming to rest on her. "If Hakugyokurou is where you need to go, and flying is how you need to get there, perhaps I can be of assistance?"

"How so?" questioned Joseph, raising an eyebrow.

"I have a ship, that flies, and it's really, really good at navigation. It'll get you there in no time. I'm also a pretty capable fighter, as well, so I could help in that aspect."

"Miss Minamitsu, while that's very sweet of you to offer, I'm not entirely sure that it would be right of us to endanger you like that. After all, you–"

"Gensokyo is my  _home_ , Mr. Jonathan. Without this place, I'd be nothing. Don't sweat the little details, alright? Now, are you gonna take my offer or not? Because if you're not, then I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

Murasa meant no harm in what she had said despite her tone, as it was the entire truth. She was afraid, very much so, but the one thing that mattered to her was at stake, and she wasn't going to sit around and let it be destroyed, knowing full well that she could have done something.

"Ah, well, if that's the case, then we can't very well deny you, can we?" said Jonathan with a smile. "If the rest of my relatives agree, then we'll take you up on your generous offer."

"Shouldn't we ask Johnny and Gappy, first?" said Giorno out of nowhere. "It wouldn't be right to make a decision without them."

"No need to ask. We think it's a good idea."

Another pair of people came out of the shrine, one wheelchair bound and the other in a sailor's uniform. The one in the wheelchair was the one who had spoken.

"While I haven't experienced the same iteration of him that you all have, I'm still well aware of the threat he poses. If it's anything that involves stopping him, I'm in."

"And, well, it doesn't seem like we really have much of a choice." his companion continued.

"I guess that's that, then." said Joseph with a tone of finality. "So, Miss Murasa, if you please, why don't you take us to this ship of yours?"

"With pleasure." Murasa replied, already making her way down the shrine steps. "Although, it's a bit of a hike, so make sure to keep up. If you get lost, I can't guarantee you won't get eaten by some youkai, so just stay close to me. I'm sure Byakuren will be pleased to have guests."

With a crew of 8 trooping dutifully behind her, Murasa set out for the Myouren Temple, ready for another adventure.


	3. Chapter 2

After a quite boring journey across what seemed like half of Gensokyo, Murasa and her ragtag crew had finally come across the Myouren Temple, its wooden gates being a welcoming sight to both her and them. However, all was not well, as Byakuren had frantically run to meet them as soon as they had arrived. Her dress was in tatters, and there was a thin cut across one of her cheeks. She gripped Murasa's shoulders in a panic, her widened eyes bloodshot and wet with tears.

"Murasa. Take the Palanquin and go. Nue's been taken, and we don't know who'll be next. I don't want anything to happen to you, so go. Run, as far as you can, and don't even think about looking back. She's all ready for you."

"Where are Ichirin and the others?"

"Now's not the time to worry about them, Murasa. You have to escape before you get taken too."

"What? Lady Hijiri, you're not making sense–"

"Trust me."

"But Lady Hijiri, you–"

"Just... Please, Murasa. This is for your safety. Take the Palanquin, and  _go_."

Murasa felt tears well up in her eyes, but she solemnly nodded and held them back as best as she could.

"Where is she?"

"Just inside the temple gates. I... I'm sorry I have to do this, Murasa. Stay safe, for my sake."

Byakuren fully threw her arms around the captain, letting out a shuddering breath. She held her like this for a good while, clutching desperately at the fabric of Murasa's shirt. She then reluctantly let go and fled away from the group, a few glittering tears flying after her. Murasa breathed in and out in an effort to calm herself and beckoned her crew to follow her. They all boarded the Palanquin, and she immediately went below decks, to clear her mind. She eventually regained her composure, and willed the Palanquin to fly, hoping and praying that there was some way that she could fix all of this.

* * *

 

They were well on their way to Hakugyokurou when Murasa was set upon by her thoughts. She reflected on the tragedy at the temple, how panicked Byakuren looked, how what she could see of her home was in flames or a smoldering ruin, how everything had seemed to fall apart in an instant. It was this that caused her to finally begin to bitterly weep. She covered her mouth with a hand to try to stifle the sobs spilling forth from what felt like the depth of her being. Murasa felt pathetic. Completely and utterly pathetic. A captain of her stature should be able to control her emotions, and yet, she couldn't help herself. Out of the blue, she heard footsteps approaching from behind. She couldn't bear to look at them, as she knew all too well it was one of the Joestars, who had all witnessed her initial meltdown at the temple. Whoever it was placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and sat next to her on one of the ship's huge spaces for the oars to row.

"Hey, Murasa," said Jolyne, to her surprise. "I know you're probably hurting pretty bad about the whole situation at the temple. I know what it's like to experience something like this, and I won't slight you by telling you things'll be okay. The truth of the matter is, they won't be. Not yet, anyway. We're working hard towards a resolution, and while we've got a lot of work cut out for us, it's not like we're completely helpless. You'll see Lady Hijiri again. We'll make sure of it."

Murasa couldn't bring herself to reply immediately, despite the girl's kind words to her. She still felt broken, empty, and more afraid than she was before.

"Thank you, Jolyne. I... I'm okay. After all, what kind of captain would I be if I couldn't be strong for my crew?" She finally said, standing up and stretching. "We're almost at our destination, so why don't you go gather them up? We've got a lot of stairs to climb when we get there."

"Are you sure? You don't seem to be in the highest of spirits right now, cap."

"I'm sure. You don't have to worry about me, alright?"

"...If you say so." Jolyne hesitantly stood, gave one last glance over her shoulder at Murasa, and trooped up the stairs to the main deck, leaving her on her own to grapple with her emotions. Eventually, she regained her composure, and followed after Jolyne, praying that her breakdown wasn't too obvious. The other Joestars were lazing about on the top deck, a few of them warily looking over the edge of the ship. 

"It's quite... cold up here, isn't it?" Jonathan said with a shiver.

"Now that you mention it, there is a slight chill in the air," Giorno replied. "Quite odd indeed."

"Well, it's only natural. We're high above the clouds, looking for..." Murasa pointed at the Barrier of Life and Death with a grin. "That, right there."

"That?! It looks practically impenetrable!" Joseph exclaimed. "There's no way we're getting through that mess."

"Exactly. Which is why we're going  _over_  it."

"O-over? Is there... even an 'over' to go over in the first place?" Josuke questioned. 

"Tch, sure there is. Every good door has an 'over'. And besides, the border is weak as hell anyway, so it's way easy to get into the Netherworld."

Murasa turned towards the prow of the Palanquin, smirking at the stunned silence she had thrown the Joestars into. It gave the top of the gate-like border a gracefully wide berth and landed softly onto the white sands at the bottom of Hakugyokurou's countless stone steps.

"Well, we're here. Quite the easy trip, wouldn't you say?" said Murasa.

"Well yeah," Johnny replied warily. "But... that's a  _lot_ of steps..."

"Ah, you're right... Um..."

"It's fine. I'll carry him." Gappy said while scooping the blonde up out of his wheelchair. Murasa and the Joestars dispersed from the Palanquin and turned to face the seemingly endless flight of stairs. The glowing cherry blossom trees did nothing to stifle how imposing they were, and the crew of 9 couldn't help but sigh. Finally, Jonathan spoke, his voice slightly drained of the usual hopeful tone it contained.

"We may as well start climbing, eh? It'll hurt less later, that's for sure."

The group gave a collective nervous chuckle and set upon the grueling task, hoping that the stairs didn't go on for as long as they seemed.


	4. Chapter 3

As she and her crew summited the mountain of steps before them, Murasa couldn't help but notice how _silent_ Hakugyokurou was. The cherry blossom trees lining the path were unnervingly still, and there was a lingering chill in the air despite the lack of a breeze. She tried to dispel her fears as best as she could through denial, but deep down Murasa knew this was entirely wrong. It was with this conclusion being drawn that they reached the top of the stairs. They all gave a simultaneous sigh of relief, a few of them going as far as to collapse onto their hands and knees, unbothered by the sandy earth covering their clothes.

"Well, we made it," Murasa said in between heaving breaths. "And making it is half the battle, am I right?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Josuke responded bitterly. "Doesn't make the first half of the battle any less hard."

Murasa ignored him, more focused on the flicker of movement she had seen out of the corner of her eye. As much as she wanted to mention it to the others, something gave her the feeling that it would somehow make things worse for them in the long run. She instead chose to peek inside the depths of Yuyuko's home, trying to gain some idea of what they were in store for. Much to her chagrin, she couldn't see much of anything. It was practically pitch black within the walls, and the only thing she could actually see was the vague outline of buildings within the compound.

"Alright, listen, since most of us don't know what we're up against here, it would be much more productive if we all split into teams." Murasa finally said, satisfied as she could be with her findings. "Those who are even a little bit aware of the dangers of this man, pair up with someone who isn't. That way, no one is in any immediate danger."

Her crew considered this for a brief moment, and almost immediately split up into two person squads, consisting of Jonathan with Jolyne, Johnny with Gappy, Joseph with Josuke, and Giorno with Jotaro.

"Oi... Something isn't right." said Jolyne, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah, you're right! Captain Minamitsu has been left all alone..." Jonathan added.

"No, no, that's okay! I'll be fine on my own." she reassured.

"You were the one who suggested this idea in the first place," Jotaro said, not even trying to conceal his annoyed tone. "Don't try to weasel your way out of it to be some sort of hero. I'll come with you, and Giorno can go with the old man and Josuke."

Giorno nodded solemnly, leaving Murasa no choice but to be accompanied by the stoic teenager. She let out a malcontented sigh, and continued on with the rest of her plans, a slight damper on her mood.

"Now, here's the other thing; it's quite dark in there, if you haven't noticed, and it's gonna take some brilliant scheme to light things up a bit. So if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear 'em."

"Hmm... There's a lot of trees around here, which means there must be countless branches–" Johnny began.

"And Jotaro has a lighter, which means we can make torches!" Gappy finished, bringing his fist down onto his palm. "Sorry for interrupting you, Johnny."

"Then that's decided! Everyone grab a branch, let Jotaro light it, and get a move on! We're wasting time here."

 

* * *

 

After every torch was lit and every team had disappeared into the depths of Hakugyokurou, Murasa and Jotaro began to explore on their own in complete silence, both of them childishly brooding over issues of their own. Their efforts were proving fruitless, however, and the longer they searched without finding anything, the more frustrated Murasa got. Eventually, she cried out in anger, unable to hold her feelings back any longer. Jotaro's head snapped to look at her, his usual mildly annoyed look replaced by a severely irritated sneer. 

"The hell is your problem?!"

"I could ask the same thing of you."

"I don't have a problem. You clearly do, though."

"And what if I do? That's none of your business."

"Tch. What are you, five? Grow up, for God's sake. You're being annoying."

"Well _excuse_ me for trying to cope with having the one place I feel safe in destroyed! I wouldn't expect you to understand anyway. You have your family!"

And it was with this that Murasa stormed off, wiping away her tears to hide the weakness she felt in her heart.  
In her haste, however, she dropped her torch in the water, leaving her in complete darkness. Emotionally overwhelmed, Murasa began to bitterly sob, unable to hold herself together anymore. Her home was in shambles, her friends were all dead for all she knew, and to top it all off, she was lost in a place she didn't know from a hole in the wall in the dark.

  
All of a sudden, she heard an odd noise behind her, but before she could turn around to investigate, Murasa felt an agonizingly sharp pain shoot through her right shoulder blade, causing her to drop to her knees in surprise. She clutched at the fabric surrounding it, only to find that it had become soaked in blood. Her head started to swim as the pain began to intensify, sending ripples down her shoulder, into every inch of her body.

She felt her pupils dilate, felt her breathing shallow, and felt her chest tighten. It seemed like the last option left to her was to curl into a ball and pray. Even though she knew that it was impossible, some primal instinct was screaming that she was going to die, and soon enough, she began to believe it.

She broke down in tears, unable to move, or think clearly. The only thing on her mind was the fact that she was going to die, and all the people she'd be leaving behind when she did.

But as suddenly as the pain had started, it had ceased, and left a feeling of immeasurable power in its wake. Murasa brought her left hand up to her face, and through the blurry mess of her tears she could see that it was surrounded in a smoke-like sea green aura. She flexed her fingers, and it moved with them, to her surprise.

Wiping the moisture from her eyes, Murasa weakly attempted to stand, trying her best to ignore the dull throbbing of her shoulder. She managed to put herself into a knock-kneed stance, using the wall next to her for support. An ice cold chill ran down her spine, and she turned around slowly to see some _thing_ towering behind her. Murasa jumped back with a hellish screech, landing straight onto her bottom.

The thing standing, or, floating behind her was outfitted in almost full captain's regalia, however, the white button up shirt that it was wearing was slightly unbuttoned. Its 'skin' was extremely pale with a slight twinge of green to it, and it had waist length black hair that looked to be extremely damp. What unnerved Murasa the most, however, was how similar it looked to herself when she was younger, down to the bandages binding its chest. She tried to look it in the eye to get a better read on its intent, but it had no facial features at all. It tilted its head inquisitively at her, and she found herself tilting her head right back. Somehow, she felt that this thing was not a threat.

Murasa stood once more, and thrust her had through it, curious to see if it was corporeal or not. Disappointingly, it wasn't, yet she felt like something had gone through her own body, and as she withdrew her hand, the feeling gradually receded. Whatever this was, it was connected to her spiritually, which both excited and scared her immensely. She wanted to experiment more, but she heard voices behind her, and by the sound of them, they were getting closer and closer by the minute. Murasa began to panic, as her spiritual companion had disappeared into thin air, leaving her all alone with no way to defend herself. She saw the light of a torch come into view, and thankfully, it was only Jonathan, who had come to rescue her.

"Captain Minamitsu! Goodness me, am I glad to see you! When Jotaro told us you got separated from him, we were all so–" his eyes widened in shock. "Is... Is that blood?! What happened to you?!"

"N-nothing. Don't worry about me. Where are the others?"

"Back that way. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get out of here before something else goes wrong."

"Of course," Jonathan said, grabbing her hand and beginning to walk. "However, if you don't mind me asking... What happened between you and Jotaro?"

Murasa cast a dark glance into the distance and felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. He had every right to call her childish. What she did was befitting a child and thinking back on it made her feel incredibly foolish.

"If you'd rather not talk about it, I–"

"I said some regrettable things. And... I oughta apologize to Jotaro for them."

Jonathan gave a knowing smile and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I have a feeling that that sentiment is mutual. Don't stress too much about it, okay?"

Before she could respond, however, their path was blocked by a small, shadowy figure holding what looked to be a wide, flat blade. It snarled at them angrily, and charged forward, the steel of its blade glinting in the torchlight.


	5. Chapter 4

Murasa instinctively flinched and wrenched her eyes shut in terror, preparing herself for what would be a certain demise for anyone else. She felt bad about not protecting Jonathan, especially considering the slight trance the attacker seemed to put him in. Yet, the feeling of cold steel cleaving through her never came. She opened one eye, expecting to see her partner cut to ribbons beside her, only to see the arms of the spirit from earlier crossed in front of her face, shielding it from the blade of the hidden attacker. She could feel the sword cut into her wrists, but other than that, she was relatively unharmed. The person on the offensive seemed just as surprised as she was, so Murasa shoved her arms forward, hoping that her spirit guardian would move with her. 

Thankfully, it was one step ahead of her. It used its scrawny arms to pin the figure in place, just barely dodging their furiously desperate flurry of attacks. 

"Oi! Lemme go! If I would have known you were a stand user I would have never targeted you in the first place!" the person said in a voice unfittingly light and childish. 

"Wait..." Jonathan said, snapping out of his odd daze. "S-Shizuka? Is that you?"

Murasa could feel the person relax a bit, (for which she was very grateful) however, it struck her as odd how friendly they had gotten in that instant, not to mention the whole 'stand user' nonsense they were prattling on about. 

_'Surely,'_ she thought. _'This must be a trick.'_

Her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden yelp. 

" _ **Hey!**_ That really hurts, ya know?! I'm sorry that I attacked you and all, but would it kill you to be a little more gentle?!"

"My apologies." mumbled Murasa, feeling strangely embarrassed. She dropped them unceremoniously, still slightly suspicious of their intentions. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I guess." the person stood up and dusted themselves off with a huff. "A little weirded out, but otherwise, fine."

Jonathan brought the torch closer to the mysterious figure, revealing a girl with short, inky black hair and even darker sunglasses. She was cloaked in a lavender and white Letterman jacket and armed with a sword that seemed all too big for someone of her stature. The blade had the word "pluck" written on it in what Murasa assumed to be blood, and where she expected the girl's hand to be was simply empty space.

Jonathan hastily thrust the torch at the captain, kneeling to draw the mysterious girl into a tight hug. 

"Shizuka, what in the world are you doing here?"

"I dunno... I just got here a good twenty minutes ago."

"But it's not safe here! You could be-"

"Yeah, I know, but I was worried about you guys. You just disappeared without a trace!" The girl called Shizuka cast a downcast glance at the sandy earth. "And... And then when I find you, you're all running around with some suspicious sailor girl as if she... Never mind. I'm just glad you're okay."

  
Murasa felt slightly offended by her offhanded comment and had opened her mouth to defend herself when the other Joestars seemingly came out of nowhere. They all seemed excited to see both her and the new girl, albeit favoring Shizuka over the captain. They gathered around her in various states of jubilee, some almost going as far as to give Murasa a wide berth in attention entirely.

She pulled her hat over her eyes, trying to banish the selfish thoughts that had seized her mind in an instant.

'She's their family,' she mentally shouted over the envious whispers that plagued her thoughts. 'They've known her for longer. You are an outlier.'

Josuke clapped her on the shoulder, snapping her out of her reverie without warning. His usual easygoing grin was even wider.

"And we're happy to see you too, 'cap! Although..." he examined her bloodied shoulder warily. "You're, uh, kinda covered in blood. What happened to you out there?"

"Nothing." Murasa almost snapped. "I just... I fell, 's all. I'm fine."

"Ah, if you say so." The pompadoured boy awkwardly chuckled. "Y'sure you don't want me to-"

"I'm fine, Josuke."

Murasa had no idea why she felt so angry at her crew. They'd come along on this convoluted journey on their own volition, and she was completely indebted to them in every way imaginable; and yet something deep within her heart was filled with a slowly building rage not unlike what she felt back in her funa yuurei days.

A sudden onslaught of spluttering noises interrupted her train of thought. The Joestars all started shouting at once the moment it started, slightly drowning out what they were panicking about in the first place. Murasa pushed past the ring that they had formed with their bodies to see what all the ruckus was about, and to her horror, the young lass was clutching at her throat. Every so often, she would pause to heave up quite a mass of seawater; and pretty soon, she had paled and dropped to her knees. It was clear to the captain that the girl was drowning, somehow. Murasa dashed to her side, smacking the butt of her palm against the girl's back in an attempt to expel the excess water pooling in her lungs.

However, as soon as she started to do this, Shizuka's symptoms had ceased almost entirely. She brushed her off solemnly, an embarrassed flush creeping across her face.

"'M alright." the girl spat out a few pitiful coughs and slowly stood. "You're hurting me more than you're helping."

Murasa stepped back warily, eyeing Shizuka up and down to gauge her condition. For the most part, she was fine, albeit a little shaken up from her near death experience. She said nothing as she turned her back on the captain, chatting with her family as if nothing had happened in the first place.

Murasa signaled to Jonathan as best as she could, not wanting to make the atmosphere any more awkward than it already was. He picked up on her cue immediately, blessing the group with one of his warm smiles.

"I think it's high time we made our exit," he said, gesturing in the general direction of the Palanquin. "There's not much here for us anymore, and I'm sure Shizuka needs her rest. We can talk more on our way to our next destination."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the family, and Murasa let out an internal sigh of relief. As they made their motions to leave, she couldn't help staring at the young Joestar girl. Despite her her seemingly unrealistic bounce back from death, there was still a certain wobble to her otherwise calculated stride; and Murasa was bowled over with the overwhelming feeling that it was her fault. She cleared her head of those thoughts as best she could, gazing at the forever-dawn horizon of Hakugyokurou.

Murasa slicked her hair back and sighed once more. They had a long road ahead of them, and it didn't seem like it'd be ending anytime soon.


	6. Chapter 5

Murasa had never been so unsure of herself in her life. As she stood on the prow of the Palanquin, gazing out to the hazy pink horizon, her thoughts raced faster than her mind could keep up with. While what happened at Hakugyokurou could be naught more than a coincidence, there was something about it that struck her the wrong way. It was simply _impossible_ for a person to start drowning on dry land like Shizuka did-and Murasa would know that better than anybody- but the proof was in the pudding, and this pudding was thick as ever. 

Some irrational part of her was convinced that her new spiritual companion was to blame for this; and she summoned it forth curiously, as if it were supposed to explain the situation perfectly. It floated in front of her graciously, seemingly awaiting instruction. Murasa sighed and removed her hat, throwing it into the inky abyss that was the sky. She then looked at the spirit expectantly, waving her hand to send it off. Surprisingly, it picked up the hint quite well, and sped off to retrieve the discarded item.

When it returned, however, something was severely wrong. The hat was clutched in one of it's hands, but the brim of it was dripping with what appeared to be water. Not only was it dripping, but part of the brim _was_ water, unless Murasa's eyes were deceiving her. She gave an indignant shout and snatched the hat from the spirit hastily, not wanting whatever was happening to it to continue any further. To her confusion, the brim of her hat was as solid as could be; and the cloth showed no sign of dampness at all. 

"What in the Sam Hill hell..." Murasa unconsciously said, turning it over in her hands. 

"Y'know, stealing other people's line s is _so_ cliché, darling." a familiar, singsong voice sounded behind her. "Perhaps you should try coming up with your _own_ material, hmm?"

Murasa turned around quickly, sending away her spirit and almost dropping her hat off the side of the Palanquin again. She breathed a sigh of relief and affixed it back to her head; it was only Joseph.

"And not warning someone of your approach is just as bad, I think." she rolled her eyes at his shit-eating grin. "What's up? I'd expected all of you lot to be asleep."

"Well, I _was_ asleep, until I heard you shouting. What're you up to, toots? Not thinking of throwing in the towel already, are you?"

"No, of course not. I'm just thinking about where we should go next, seeing as Hakugyokurou was bust."

"I see. So what was that spirit, all about? You're going to say 'Spirit? What spirit? It was just me up here.', right?"

"Spirit? What- Hey! Don't do that. It isn't funny. There wasn't any spirit anywhere."

Joseph waggled a finger at her knowingly, winking all the while. 

"You can't fool me that easily, Minamitsu. I saw it. Why didn't you tell us you were a stand user?"

There was that term again. Murasa still had no idea what it meant; but both times she had heard it, it was in relation to her spirit. She knew there was some sort of connection, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was. 

"Well, _Joestar,_ if you could be so kind, could you explain what the hell a stand user is? I dunno about you, but I'm not fond of being called things I don't understand."

"You really don't know? Hmm. This is quite the predicament. I'll have to get the others. Sit tight, 'kay?"

And before she could mouth a complaint, he was gone, leaving Murasa alone with her thoughts. Her mind wandered once more to Shizuka; and all at once a tidal wave of emotion washed her away. She was the first person to call Murasa a 'stand user', and the way in which she spat it made it seen like some sort of curse. The rage that she had held back earlier was starting to boil in her gut again, and for some odd reason, waves were lapping at her feet. She could feel them through—no, _inside_ , she was sure of it—her thick rubber boots; but to her confusion, her starchy white socks that should have been soaking wet by now were mysteriously nowhere to be found. Murasa had stooped down halfway to remove her boot when she heard energetic chatter behind her: Joseph had roused Josuke and Jolyne. Just what she needed. 

She slid down from the tip of the prow to greet them, and surprisingly, Jotaro and Giorno had tagged along. The former regarded her with the same sneer as always, while the latter greeted her with a smile that was possibly intended to be warm, yet cooled a bit by a sharpened glare. 

"So, Mr. Joestar told us you have a stand!" Josuke cut to the chase, excitement thickly blanketing his tone.

"It would seem as much, yes." Murasa replied sheepishly. "Although, I'm still not entirely sure of what that entails."

"It's an extension of yourself, or, well, a manifestation of your fighting spirit." explained Giorno. "Each one has a unique ability. Some people are born users, like myself, but some are artificially created through... certain means."

"Though, this isn't something that happens everyday." added Jotaro, eyeballing her warily. "Someone developing one out of the blue, I mean."

"So what you're saying is that this... thing..." Murasa summoned the spirit and regarded it with slight interest. "Is my... fighting spirit?"

"That's exactly what we're saying." Jolyne quipped with a grin. "And, by the looks of things, you've got a pretty strong one."

"Of course, every good stand needs a name, dear captain," Joseph butted in, his grin even wider than Jolyne's. "So, what would you like to call yours?"

"I think we should find out what it _does_ first, Joseph." Giorno rolled his eyes a bit. "Have you noticed anything strange happening since you've developed your stand, Captain Minamitsu?"

"Well..." she tapped her chin gently. "I dunno if this is me being crazy, but it seems like my things keep turning to water at random."

"Really?" Jotaro raised his eyebrows a bit. "Do you think you could try to do it on purpose?"

"I..."

Murasa wasn't quite sure. She had a feeling she could, if she really wanted to, but something deep within her felt as though this phenomenon was tied to her emotions.

"I can try. But I need an object to do it with." she finally said, holding her hand out.

The Joestars looked amongst themselves quizzically. Eventually, Giorno unclasped one of the ladybug brooches attached to his uniform, dropping it in Murasa's hand with a touch of hesitation. She closed her hand around it gently and shut her eyes, focusing as hard as she could. Nothing happened, as far as she could tell, and for a moment, she felt foolish. But, out of nowhere, her hand felt much cooler than it had before; and the unmistakeable dampness of water was pressing itself against her palm. Murasa opened her hand to see the general shape of the brooch, but as if it were a suspended bit of water. Droplets from it flowed over her callused hand, and both she and the Joestars stared at it in awe. She closed her hand again, and in a flash, it was solid once more, as if it had never been turned to water in the first place.

"That's _unbelievably_ kewl." Josuke whispered, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Well, that's that, then." chuckled Giorno, retrieving his brooch and pinning it back to his uniform. "So, now that we know what it does, it's time to play the name game, eh?"

"Ooh! What about 'Ocean Man'?" Joseph grinned at her heartily. "It's a good name, right?"

"No. That's a shit name." Jotaro rolled his eyes. "And it doesn't fit her, either."

Joseph stuck his tongue out at him, and Murasa swore she could see the makings of a smile playing across Jotaro's face.

"What about 'Girl in the Sea'?" said Jolyne offhandedly. "I mean, Cap's stand has that kinda look about it, y'know?"

"What do you think, Captain Minamitsu?" Giorno raised an eyebrow at her.

"'Girl in the Sea', huh? I like it." she said, glancing at her stand with a smile. "Makes me feel powerful."

"Hmm. This was easier than I thought it was gonna be." Josuke stretched and yawned. "Now can we _please_ go back to sleep? I'm practically dying here."

"Yeah, yeah, you all need some rest." said Murasa. "Tomorrow, we'll probably stop at the Human Village to get our bearings. See you in morning, crew. Get some rest."

They trooped back below decks, wishing her well in various tones of voice, Murasa let out a yawn herself. The night's events had taken a toll on her; and the naming of her stand had shaken away some of her anxiousness to sleep. As she barely hauled herself up to the crow's nest, her unease had fully washed away into waves of sleepiness. She laid herself comfortably among the pillows and blankets she had stashed up there, and soon enough, Murasa drifted off to sleep, her thoughts filled with memories of her sailor days.


	7. Chapter 7

Ran knelt next to a heavily bandaged Chen, her shoulders shaking with sobs. Murasa stood tentatively in the doorframe, unsure if she should approach.

"I... I'm sorry this happened to you... You were just a bystander, caught up in something that wasn't your fault..." Ran choked, beginning to sob harder.

Murasa decided to kneel next to her, saying a silent prayer. She couldn't begin to imagine what the shikigami was going through. The only thing she had to compare the situation to was watching her own family weep over her bloated, waterlogged body. Even then, she was an outside party. Not actually involved.

"If it's any consolation, Ms. Ran, one of my crew members... They can heal her, if you wanted them to?" she finally said in a whisper quiet voice.

Ran turned to her, her face still wet with fresh tears.

"T-they can? But... She's so..." her voice caught, unable to express the thought.

"Yes, they can. I can go get them now, if you want?"

She nodded solemnly, and Murasa hastened back to her crew. She opened the door a hair, motioned Josuke over, and closed it behind them.

"So, um... Did you need something, 'Cap? I don't mind helping, but you gotta tell me what you need, first." he said.

Murasa said nothing, grabbed his wrist, and practically dragged him to where Ran was. She looked expectantly back and forth between him and Chen.

"You want me to heal her?"

She nodded in the affirmative, and within the blink of an eye, Chen was stirring. Ran looked absolutely overjoyed.

"I cannot thank you enough for this, ship phantom. If there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask." she said.

"Well, I did wanna ask about Yukari... That is, if you're comfortable with that. I can understand why you wouldn't be." said Murasa, with a pause. "Oh, and Josuke, you can go back to the others, if you like."

He flashed a quick thumbs up, and slinked out of the room.

"Ah. I can do that. Let me know if I get too choked up, okay? Thinking about it, even now, it hurts." said Ran.

"I'll be sure to. I only have one burning question, and I'll leave you to tend to Chen. Do you... Do you remember anyone that that person asked you about?"

Ran inhaled a sharp gulp of air, her memories clearly overwhelmingly distinct. Her face darkened, and she practically hissed.

"...That immortal girl. With the white hair and red clothes. From the Bamboo Forest of The Lost. She's the only one I remember."

"Hmm... I think I know who you're talking about. For a person wearing red and white, she's not very lucky." Murasa said, trying to lighten the mood.

"True indeed. I'm sorry that I cannot remember anyone else, though, if I do, I'll be sure to send word out." Ran flatly replied.

Murasa stood and bowed to the shikigami. Even at her worst, Ran had commandeered the utmost amount of respect, especially after what she'd been through.

"Thank you for your time, Lady Ran. I wish well for both you and Lady Chen."

"And I wish the same for you and yours, ship phantom."

Murasa left almost as quietly as she had came in, and attempted to slip into the main room similarly. However, the ruckus inside was too much. Jonathan and Joseph were both holding cups filled to the brim with water, but turned  _upside down._ The rest of the family stood alongside the 3 new humans, chanting furiously.

"I'm not giving up that easily, grandfather! You may as well throw in the towel now!" challenged Joseph.

"While your petty taunts are quite amusing, they mean nothing to me! I shall win this contest, and you will enjoy a slice of humble pie!" retorted Jonathan.

Murasa leaned against the doorframe, trying to stifle back a laugh. Joseph's arm was shaking like a madman, and the water looked about ready to spill. Everyone held their breath, and the water fell onto the carpet with a satisfying  _sploosh_. An enormous roar sounded as Jonathan grinned from ear to ear. Joseph, on the contrary, looked devastated. Murasa couldn't hold back her laughter anymore, and collapsed onto the floor in a fit of giggles. 12 pairs of eyes were drawn to her almost immediately. She wiped away the tears forming in her eyes, and stood back up, once more using the doorframe for support.

"Sorry for the intrusion, everyone. It's just... That was absolutely hilarious! I've never seen a face that funny in my life!" she said, in-between aftershocks of laughter.

"At least one of us can find this situation funny." huffed Joseph.

"Don't be such a sore loser, dude. Jonathan won, fair and square." Jolyne jokingly snapped.

"Of course I did." Jonathan boasted. "Unlike him, I am serious about my training."

The closeness of this family gave Murasa a warm, foreign feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was something that she had never really felt before, even with her own parents. Whatever it was, she enjoyed it immensely. Somehow, some of her bitterness towards humans had melted away, and in its place, this new feeling was left, shining radiantly. Apparently, Murasa's steadily creeping grin wasn't left unnoticed, as she felt a hand tap her lightly on her shoulder.

"Are you feeling alright, miss? Your eyes are all glossed over. You didn't lose too much oxygen from laughing too hard, did you?" said Erina.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking. Just a little... Sentimental, is all." Murasa bashfully replied.

She smiled warmly, and that feeling washed over Murasa again. It wasn't often she got asked questions like that, and especially not so sincerely.

"That's wonderful. How did things go with the fox woman?"

"Pretty good. I've got our next destination all planned out."

"Oh, do tell! Don't leave us in the dark, it's less fun that way." said Joseph. 

"We're heading for the Bamboo Forest of the Lost next. Supposedly, someone got kidnapped around there. We're on the lookout for someone with red clothes and white hair."

"Red clothes and white hair, you say? Sounds like that girl Ms. Keine wouldn't stop talking about." Josuke said with an air of slight annoyance. "What was her name again?"

"Fudgywarah no Mokou, or something crazy like that." remarked Jolyne.

"Wait, Mokou, you said? Now I definitely know who we're looking for." said Murasa.

"All the better, then. How soon will our departure be? I do want to say goodbye to Robert and the others before I leave." said Jonathan.

"No need for goodbyes. We're taking them with us. Many hands make light work."

Jonathan's face brightened so much, Murasa could swear she could see his spirits lift out of his body. The 3 people in question also looked quite pleased about this turn of events.

"Now that that's cleared up, we've gotta go. Did anyone see where Yuyuko disappeared to? I wanted to thank her."

"She went to go sleep, I think. That, or to get that miko girl to get some rest. I don't blame them. I could use a nap myself." said Gappy.

"It can't be helped, I guess. We can't waste a second. And I know you all aren't too keen on going back up those stairs. So, let's get moving."

And with her crew plus some newcomers in tow, she set off once more, somewhat excited about sailing with them.


	8. Chapter 8

Murasa was atop the crow's nest, just beginning her watch for the night. It was about 4am, and her exhaustion was finally catching up to her. Her eyes soon grew heavy, and she couldn't help but fall asleep.

_**"A girl?! But we did everything in our power to have a boy! This is outrageous!"** _

_**"Now, darling, while this is an unfortunate turn of events, you musn't be so hasty in your harsh words. Perhaps she can benefit us in her own way."** _

_Murasa had relived this exact nightmare an infinite number of times after her death. It still got to her, despite the numerous amount of repetitions of it, and its de-evolution into sounds and feelings._

_**"Sit up straight!" "Don't you have any common sense?!" "You're a worthless child."** _

_**"No, *******, you can't go play with those boys. You're too fragile." "Stay inside. You might get hurt out there." "We do love you, darling, in out own sort of way."** _

_Her heart ached just thinking about all of the things her parents had ever said to her. Even the little things got under her skin. She was miserable._

_**"To the docks? Again? Don't you have anything better to do?"** _

_The harbor was her one solace. The gentle lapping of the waves and the smooth bobbing of the ships soothed her war-torn heart, mending at least some of the damage._

_**"Your heart seems to belong to the sea, lass. How would you like to work aboard my ship? Just for a few days, nothing serious."** _

_And there he was, without fail. The kindly old ship hand that took her under his wing. He was a fine gentleman, even if Murasa only knew him for 3 days._

_**"*******, go up to the crow's nest! It's safer for you up there! Our ship may sink, but at least we'll rest easy knowing someone is alive!"** _

_Of course, stubborn as she was, she didn't listen. This ship was her home, and if it went down, she was going down with it. Or at least, that's what she thought at the time._

_All at once, her senses were overwhelmed by sea water. It was everywhere. Her stomach, her nose, even her lungs were filled to the brim with saltwater. It clawed at her insides, burning and stinging and leaving destruction in its wake. She wanted out. This feeling was still awful, even now, centuries later. She tried to scream, but the oppressive ocean silenced her. It held her and refused to let go, despite her desperate pleading. It was cruel, merciless, and unfeeling. And she hated it. God, she hated it. Her chest felt like it was going to cave in on itself. Everything began to fade, and her breathing grew more and more shallow...._

Murasa jolted awake, looking around warily. She wasn't underwater, like she had thought, but she  _was_  in the crow's nest of a ship. Speedwagon leaned on the railing, a concerned smile on his face.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, miss." he said.

Murasa was unbelievably embarrassed. Her face was wet with tears, and she had a feeling her eyes were red and bloodshot.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came up to get some fresh air, and I heard some pretty hefty screaming. And then I found you, about to fall. You're okay, I hope?" he said.

"...Yeah. I'm alright, I guess." Murasa lied.

"It's impossible to lie to a liar and a cheat, you know. What's troubling you?"

Murasa rubbed the back of her neck. As much as she wanted to bear her soul to him, she also didn't want to be a burden.

"Just had a nightmare, is all. Nothing serious."

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe. You can tell me. I don't mind listening. What was the nightmare about?"

"...My death. Or, at least the circumstances surrounding it."

"Death, huh? I understand. We're all afraid to die, lass. Nothing to be ashamed of."

"No, you don't understand. I'm already dead. They don't call me things like  _funa yuurei_ or  _ship ghost_  for nothing. I'm the ghost of a drowning victim, and I was originally very bitter against humans. To the point where I would sink every ship I came across. Then, I met Byakuren, and..." Murasa trailed off, her voice beginning to waver. "And, she saved me. Saved me from the monster I had become. Even so... I can't shake my past, and it's been coming back to haunt me for ages, now. Both my living years, and what came after. People still think ill of me, to this day."

She felt something heavy and warm drape itself over her shoulders. He had given her his coat.

"You're not alone. We all have emotional baggage; hell, my past is full of things I regret, and things that I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemies. That doesn't effect you, in the long run. The present is what matters. And besides, we're the lucky ones. We had someone save us. If Mr. Joestar wouldn't have spared my life that night... who knows what I would be up to today. I might not even be alive."

He sighed, and looked up into the starry sky.

"Why don't you tell me about what's weighing on your heart? You seem like you need someone to talk to, especially after what you just told me. Don't leave out a single detail, either."

"It's a long story. I was born in a town where boys were coveted and girls were scorned, so I was a disappointment from the get-go. My childhood was filled with confusion and verbal abuse. My mother  _hated_  me. She'd always call me 'stupid' and 'worthless' and other things like that, and my father 'loved' me from arms reach. Everything I did was a mistake. Up until I was... 14, I think? I had always been unhappy. At that age, I discovered my love for the sea. I was always down at the local harbor, watching the ships come in and out of port for hours. When I turned 17, a ship hand invited me to work with him, and I practically jumped at the chance. Everything had been going well, until a surprise storm had hit. The ship was going under fast, and the ship hand tried to save me... But my stubbornness won over, and I drowned along with the rest of the crew. Except, something wouldn't let me move on. I saw my parents when my body was found, and how they wept and wept for days. I screamed and shouted 'Mama! Papa! I'm still alive! I'm right here!', over and over, but they couldn't hear me. I ran away, and ambled about the countryside, sinking every ship I came across. I wandered for so long, I had forgotten my name, and practically everything about myself. Eventually, I ended up here, and Byakuren saved me. That day, she asked me, 'What is your name, funa yuurei?', and while I couldn't remember my real name, I remembered something a local called me, a long time ago. I proudly proclaimed, 'I am Murasa, sinker of ships!' and she giggled at me. My surname didn't come until much later, but I didn't mind. And, well, the rest is history."

She looked wistfully out at the sea, the balmy night air enveloping her like a thick blanket. Murasa missed the Myouren Temple. She missed Byakuren, and Shou, and Nazrin, and Kogasa, and Ichirin, and Nue, and even Mamizou. Speedwagon was silent for a while, but eventually spoke in a whispery tone.

"I see. For a girl your age, you've been through so much. I can see why you wouldn't want to tell anyone about it, especially an old worrywart like me. In fact... You get some rest, Captain. I'll take up the watch from here."

"Oh, no, you don't have to-"

"It's alright. I wasn't planning on sleeping, anyways. You've had a rough night, and you'll need all your strength for when we fight that bastard DIO."

Murasa's protests fell on deaf ears, and eventually she gave up on trying to convince him. As she mounted the ladder to descend to the top deck, she swore she could see his shoulders shake a bit. She retreated into her quarters, and fell into a deep, restful slumber, for the first time in over 100 years.


	9. Chapter 9

When Murasa awoke, the sun was overhead, shining brightly in a cloudless sky. She quickly stood up and practically bolted onto the main deck. The ship was docked next to bamboo that seemed to extend on for forever.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us!" said Joseph.

"Any crew worth their salt would gave dropped you by now!" teased Johnny, echoing her first words to them.

"Leave her alone, the both of you. She was clearly exhausted. And it's not like any of you made an effort to wake her up." said Giorno.

Murasa gave a half smile, and stretched towards the heavens. She felt  _amazing._

_"_ No need to scold them, Gio. Joseph's just mad because Jonathan totally destroyed him at that contest."

Joseph's grin melted into a sneer, and Murasa stuck her tongue out at him. He glared at her for a while, and eventually stuck out his tongue as well. She retaliated by crossing her arms, but he mirrored her, and crossed his arms further than she did. They both stood like this for a while, until Murasa slowly shuffled over and flicked his nose.

"Ow! That's cheating, you salty sea dog!" he yelped, raising his hands to protect from any further attacks.

"All's fair in love and war,  _toots._ But, where are the others?"

"They're on shore. Or, most of them are. Mr. Speedwagon has a cold, so Erina and Baron Zeppeli are nursing him back to health." said Johnny.

Murasa winced, and reached at her shoulder to find that she still had Speedwagon's coat wrapped around her shoulders. This was her fault.

"I see. Well... We might be up against something dangerous, so it's for the best." she said, putting it on properly. "We've gotta get a move on. Time's a-wasting."

She ambled her way off the boat onto shore, and saw Shizuka chasing Josuke around with a turtle, Jonathan and Jolyne building tiny sand castles, and Jotaro wading in the water with Gappy.

"Oi! Crew! We're heading into the bamboo!" she said, waving them over.

"Ah, it's time to go?" Jonathan said, standing up and brushing the sand off his trousers.

They all stood at the entrance of the forest, not too thrilled to go in. It was dark, and the bamboo was so condensed that it looked like it would suffocate them.

"...Anyone got a light?" said Shizuka, a touch of fear in her voice.

"I've got a light _er_." said Jotaro.

"I dunno... It's preeeetty dark in there. A lighter probably won't cut it." said Joseph, peering into the thicket.

"We could light some bamboo on fire, to make a torch?" Shizuka anxiously replied.

"Bamboo burns too quickly," contested Murasa. "And besides, it'd make the forest go up in flames. There might be an oil lamp on the Palanquin somewhere, but I wouldn't know where to look..."

"We don't have time for that." said Giorno flatly.

"So what are we to do, then?" said Jonathan, folding his arms.

Murasa sighed, and turned around to face them. She really didn't want to do this, but the situation was dire.

"Just... Follow my lead, try to keep up, and stay behind me. I don't want any of you to get hit."

Her entire body glowed with a soft green light, and her physical form fizzled away, only to reappear a little ways away, still glowing.

"Well, come on then! We're losing daylight, and if the sun sets, it'll only get darker." she taunted, her old mischievous spirit resurfacing.

They continued on like this, with Murasa firing off a bullet every so often to see a little farther ahead, until they came to a clearing with bamboo that was scorched and burnt to ash.

"Woah... This doesn't look like the product of any normal fire..." said Josuke, pinching some of the ash between his fingers.

The bamboo across from them rustled and shook, and a humanoid shape scurried away deeper into the forest. It sent shudders down Murasa's spine, for some reason.

"If the bamboo here is burnt like this... Then that must have been the girl we're looking for." she said. "We can't lose her. Let's pick up the pace!"

They started to move faster, coming upon more and more burnt out clearings, until they found a tiny settlement, with moon rabbits scurrying here and there. A pillar of fire appeared in the air, seeming to come from the heart of the small village. A woman with long, dingy white hair and a red and blue dress approached them, exhausted and covered in soot. Her face was covered by a doctor's mask, and she was brandishing a scalpel at them. Her grey eyes were colder than the slush that seemed to make them up, and pierced into their very beings like daggers. 

"I don't know who you are, but if you're planning on hurting Princess Kaguya, you'll have to eliminate me, first. We've enough trouble already. Begone." she hissed.

"No, we're here to help," Murasa explained. "We're looking for Fujiwara no Mokou, and she seemed to end up here."

The woman slightly lowered her scalpel, but her gaze narrowed even further.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"On my honor, the honor of my crew, and the ship we sailed in on, we mean no harm. We've come to deal with Mokou, nothing more, nothing less."

The woman slipped her scalpel into a pocket in her dress, beckoned for them to follow her, and set off at a brisk pace. They jogged to keep up with her, and zigzagged through a maze of corridors, only to end up in the center of a miniature community, engulfed in a firey blaze. A girl stood in the center of all the destruction, the crackling flames distorting her figure. Her hair was pure white, and filled with talisman bows, while her clothes were a striking red, covered in those same talismans. The flames lapped at her heels like loyal pets, and her dull, red eyes glimmered like tiny onyxes at the chaos. This was the immortal Phoenix of Gensokyo: Fujiwara no Mokou.


	10. Chapter 10

Mokou swaggered over to Murasa and her crew, a distasteful look on her face.

"So, I'll assume you're here to get rid of me, eh?" she said, her voice sultry and disdainful.

"Not necessarily. If you come with us quietly, we won't lay a finger on you." said Murasa.

Mokou harumphed and stuck her hands into her pockets.

"Y'see, here's the problem with that: Lord DIO told  _me_ that  _you_  were the real bad guys. And Lord DIO would never lie to one of his followers."

"I promise you, madame, there is nothing truthful about DIO's word." said Jonathan.

Mokou ignored him and began to pace back and forth, examining the small squadron.

"It's not like you all can stop me anyway. Look at you. You look like you haven't fought a day in your lives."

"If you think that's the case, then have at us, villain!" said Jonathan.

"No need to tell me twice." said Mokou.

She immediately sprung forward, her fists engulfed in a firey blaze. Mokou bobbed and weaved, sneaking in punches wherever she could. Jonathan was halfheartedly defending himself, dealing only one blow for every 7 she dealt. His face was scrunched in concentration, but it was obvious that he couldn't keep up with her. Murasa pushed him out of the way as best she could, and decided it was time to use drastic measures.

"Harbor Sign, 'Eternally  Anchored Ghost Ship'!"

Her anchor split into 12 glowing blue ones, each with a tail of circular blue bullets. Her eyes turned into glowing, sea green abysses, and she had a vice grip on the biggest anchor. As she lifted it overhead, the others followed suit, and she threw it with all her might. They all came crashing down, and one pinned Mokou to the ground. The immortal struggled against its weight, and wriggled to dodge the overwhelming danmaku trails left in their wake. Murasa retracted her anchors, ready to attack again, when Mokou sprung up with a spellcard of her own.

"Immortal 'Fire Bird - Flying Phoenix'!"

The fire spread from her fists to her entire body, and gave her the silhouette of a phoenix. She then charged at Murasa, oblong red danmaku blazing out her flight path. Murasa barely rolled out of the way, but Mokou didn't stop. She barreled directly into Josuke, who wasn't as quick to react as Murasa was. The sheer force from their collision sent him tumbling away, enough to put out the fire, but also to keep him on the ground in pain.

"Y-you miscreant!" shouted Jonathan, his eyes glazed over with rage.

He snatched Shizuka's sword out of its sheath, and sprinted forward, lifting it overhead to strike. Mokou dashed to meet him, a cocky grin on her face. To her surprise, Jonathan sidestepped her approach, slammed his elbow into the small of her back, and planted his foot squarely onto it, keeping her on the ground. He turned her over, replaced his foot, and held the sword's point to her neck.

"You  _will_  come quietly with us, or I will be forced to use brute force." he said, his voice filled with pure malice.

Murasa was slightly terrified, as she had never seen Jonathan this angry before. The fact that everything around them was ablaze didn't help, either. Mokou spat directly in his face, and he drove the sword closer to her neck.

"Oi, oi. No need to kill the girl." said Jotaro, waltzing over lazily. "She's definitely being controlled, so this might be out of character for her. Someone come hold her still."

Joseph and Jolyne bound her arms and feet with Hermit Purple and Stone Free, and Jotaro knelt next to her, holding her face still with his hands. Star Platinum pinched something on her forehead, and began to pull. A tentacle that seemed to appear from thin air stabbed Jotaro's hand, causing him to wince slightly. Mokou's brows furrowed, and she glared at him.

"Let me go! Get your dirty hands off me, you piece of shit!" she snarled.

"Stay still." he replied dryly, not taking his eyes off her forehead.

Everyone held their breath as Star Platinum removed what Murasa could only describe as a tiny tentacled monster from the phoenix girl. It writhed and squirmed, and eventually melted into ash. Joseph and Jolyne released her, and a shine returned to her eyes, making them look more alive and free. Her eyelids fluttered, and she looked extremely confused.

"Wh... What the hell happened to me?" she said, raising a hand to her forehead.

"You were being mind controlled." said Jotaro dismissively. "But we took care of it, and now you've gotta come with us."

"Huh? Why would I do some dumb shit like that?" she sneered.

"A, we saved your life," said Joseph, annoyed. "B, We've got some questions to ask, and C, you want to get revenge, right?"

Mokou contemplated this, and looked around at the crowd of expectant faces. She was visibly uncomfortable. Thunder rumbled overhead, and it began to storm.

"...Fine. I'll come with you." she said, standing up. Her footing was uncertain and she almost fell a few times.

"Hey, someone help her. And get Josuke, too." said Murasa.

Their caravan traveled once more through the labyrinth of hallways, rabbit youkai fleeing at the sight of Mokou. A girl with long black hair and a regal gait crossed their path, her hands hidden in the sleeves of her pink shirt. A long, burgundy skirt trailed behind her.

"I see you've taken care of our...  _Vermin problem_." she said with a scoff. "You have my deepest thanks."

She strolled away, her nose high in the air. Murasa didn't like her, and she'd only known the girl for all of 3 seconds.

"C'mon. We don't have time to waste on stuck-up ladies like her." she said sourly.

They made their way through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, Mokou leading the way through this time around. It was dark by the time they broke through the final stretch of bamboo, and everyone was soaking wet. As they were boarding, Jonathan stumbled, and Murasa raised an eyebrow at him. He gave her a gentle smile, and continued onward unbothered. Murasa slowly shambled to her quarters, and practically threw herself onto her desk chair. Soon enough, she fell into a deep sleep, the glow of danmaku and fire still imprinted on her eyelids.


	11. Chapter 11

Murasa was roused from her usual nightmare by someone incessantly pounding on the door. She sluggishly opened it, only to see a distressed Giorno mid-knock.

"Don't you know what time it is? What do you need?" she said sleepily.

"I'm sorry to intrude, Captain, but... Jonathan is in critical condition. As soon as we got to our rooms, he slumped over and passed out. He's in bed now, but he's got a startlingly high fever and his heart is beating extremely fast. We're worried about him, and Josuke is out of commission for the next 3 days or so while his own injuries heal." he said.

"Something's wrong with Jonathan!?"

"Yes, but we're unsure as to what."

"...Take me to him."

Giorno gently took her hand, leading her into the belly of the ship. The dim lamps lining the way cast enormous shadows on the walls. They reminded Murasa of her childhood, her time spent slinking around the house, a candlestick held aloft. Her reminiscing was cut short, however, as they came upon their destination. And sure enough, there Jonathan was, the thin blanket pulled up to his neck, and beads of sweat dripping down his face. He seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"The fever's gone down somewhat, but his heartbeat is still accelerated, and his breathing is really shallow." said Johnny.

Murasa pressed a hand to her temples, and let out a huge sigh. This, as usual, was her fault.

"Has Jonathan been exposed to smoke before?"

"I think so...? His childhood home burned down a long time ago, but I don't know if he was caught up in it." said Joseph.

"If that's the case, then he's inhaled too much smoke. The only thing we can do is take him to the top deck and hope for the best."

"What do you mean, 'hope for the best'?! This is my great grandfather's life on the line!" shouted Shizuka.

"I know you're upset, Shizuka, but-"

Shizuka grabbed Murasa by the lapels, her eyes glistening with furious tears. Her easygoing, carefree demeanor was gone, and in its place was the passion of a dying star.

"My great grandfather is one of the few people I care deeply about. If you're going to be this indifferent about it, then maybe I should go."

And with that, she stormed off, leaving the air still and stagnant. Murasa's cheeks flushed. That was  _not_  supposed to happen.

"We've gotta get him some fresh air. I'll meet you all outside." she said, sliding awkwardly out of the room.

She followed the sounds of an angry child, and eventually found Shizuka sitting on the base of the prow of the Palanquin, her knees drawn to her chest. Her face was red and blotchy, and she was sniffling up a storm.

"Go away. I'm  _really_ not in the mood."

Murasa ignored this, sitting almost directly next to her. She took off her hat, and clutched it in one hand to prevent herself from putting it on the girl's head.

"I... I know you're kinda miffed at me, and I just wanted to apologize for being such a... Pardon my French, but I was acting like a huge ass back there, and it wasn't fair to you."

To her surprise, Shizuka leaned onto Murasa's shoulder, grasping at the cloth so tight that it threatened to tear at the seams. She had the overwhelming smell of cinnamon.

"Jonathan is... One of the few people I'd lay my life on the line for. He's the person my father reveres the most, and he's taught me mostly everything I know. I'm even his namesake, surname wise. His kindness means a lot to me, y'know?" she said, whisper quiet.

Murasa stayed silent, not wanting to detract from her feelings with an anecdote of her own. Shizuka continued, her voice hoarse and scratchy.

"If he d-died... I... I wouldn't be able to bear it. T-things wouldn't be the same without him."

She drew the girl into a tight hug, trying not to cry herself. Murasa knew this feeling all too well. Dedicating your life to someone definitely isn't easy, and when that person's mortality comes into question, it can shake even the sturdiest person to their core.

"He won't die." Murasa whispered, gently running her fingers through silky, jet-black locks. "I can promise you that."

And she began to hum, an old tune that her parents used to get her to sleep. It was something they created when she was born, almost predicting her love for the sea.

'It was all in your eyes, darling.' is what her father would tell her time and time again. 'That's why we called it "Captain *******". You were destined for the sea from the start.'

She considered it a theme of sorts, as it always came to her mind one way or another. Eventually, she had replaced her real name's place in the title with her alias, making it Captain Murasa. It was one of the few bittersweet memories that had stuck with her when she became a funa yuurei. She heard snoring after a while, and looked down to see Shizuka's head in her lap, her chest rising and falling. Murasa gave her a mellow smile. She was a child, after all. She heard voices calling her name, and looked to see the other Joestars, waiting for her. She waved them over, not wanting to disturb Shizuka. Jolyne was the only one that came, as the others were wary of being that close to the edge of the ship.

"Jonathan's doing much better. You've got a good eye, Captain."

"I wouldn't say that. It was just a hunch."

"It was a damn good one, then." she said with a grin. "Oh, and we wanted to apologize for Shizuka's behavior. We've never-"

"It's okay. We worked it out, and I think she'll be happy to hear that her great grandfather is okay." Murasa interjected.

"I see. You must be tired. Want me to take her?"

"Nah, she's good. I don't mind sitting here for a while, so she won't wake up."

Jolyne gave a hum of contentment, and left the duo to their own devices. Murasa placed her hat on the youth's head, shielding her eyes from the rising dawn's light. Having nothing else to do, she continued to hum quietly, keeping time by swinging her feet.


	12. Chapter 12

Murasa and Shizuka were the first people to visit Jonathan in the morning, to no one's surprise. He was still on the cot they brought him up on, but he had managed to prop himself up on one elbow. He smiled cheerily at them, looking no more worse for wear than he did yesterday.

"Well, look at you two, sleeping on the prow of the ship! That's true bravery, if I've ever seen it." he said, beaming with pride.

"It was less  _us_  sleeping and more  _Shizuka being conked out on my lap."_ Murasa snickered.

"Yeah, but Murasa almost cried last night, so who's the  _real_ liar here?" she replied, shooting the ship ghost a dirty look.

"Emphasis on the  _almost_ , dear."

"So you admit it, huh?"

"N-no, I never said that."

" _Murasa's a crybaby!"_

"I am  _not_!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are to-"

"That's enough, you two." Giorno said with an exasperated sigh.

The pair jumped in fright, and turned around to see the golden haired boy, an annoyed sneer on his face, along with the other Joestars.

"I'd expect this from Shizuka, but not our  _captain._ " said Jotaro, a smirk plastered across his face. 

"Tch. You could stand to lighten up a little, yourself." Murasa replied. "How's the firebrand doing?"

"She's still kind of bitter about this whole situation, but other than that, she's doing okay." said Johnny.

"Have any of you tried questioning her?"

"We did, but... None of us have a bloody clue as to what she's talking about!" complained Joseph. "It's almost like she's speaking a different language!"

"Yeah, she seemed really out of it. I remember her talking about someone named Hecatia, and somewhere called the Lunar Capital?" said Jolyne.

"Are you  _sure_  she said the  ** _Lunar Capital_**?" said Murasa incredulously.

"I remember it clear as day. That's what she kept mentioning, over and over." said Gappy.

Murasa buried her face in her hands and let out a loud sigh. There was  _no way in hell_ that they could get to the moon. Especially not on a  _boat._

"Is something wrong, Captain Minamitsu?" questioned Jonathan.

"We can't go to the Lunar Capital." stated Murasa grimly.

"Huh?! Why not?" exclaimed Shizuka.

"It's on the moon." said Murasa curtly.

"T-the moon, you say?" said Jonathan, confusion layered thickly over his voice.

"Yes. The moon." Murasa replied.

"How in the Sam Hill hell are we supposed to get  _there?!_ " said Joseph.

"That's my point, Joseph. We can't. It's impossible."

"But there's gotta be a way! We got to the land of the dead, so surely we can get to the moon?" said Gappy, plucky as ever.

"I hate to break it to you all, but the moon is in the heavens, and we're stuck here on land, or, well, at sea. The only way we're getting up there is a gap from Yukari, or some sort of miracle. Even then, none of you can breathe, and I don't want blood on my hands because of something preventable. The Lunarians will figure something out; and when they do, Hecatia will be perfectly fine. So, we're not going, and that's final. Do I make myself clear?" said Murasa with a tone of finality.

Silence blanketed itself over the crew. They were extremely upset, and a few of them looked genuinely pissed. As much as Murasa didn't want to disappoint them, especially not when the world was at stake like this, her hands were tied.

"If I may, captain," piped up Johnny after a while. "Perhaps... Perhaps we don't  _need_  Yukari. Aren't there lots of mystical women here with weird powers? Someone  _has_ to be able to get us up there, by hook or crook. Or, at least, they know how to get there. Giving up hope like this will get us nowhere, so we have to try something."

"...As much as I want to deny it, you're right. However, I want to make something known: if we  _do_  find a way up there, I  _don't_  want all of us going. Jonathan and Josuke are staying behind for sure, but they also need someone to watch over them, along with Erina and the others. The Lunar Capital is dangerous, and because I'm a youkai, things may get hectic."

No one protested, although there was a few flickers of disappointed looks. On the same hand, though, no one volunteered themselves to stay.

"That's how it's going to be, hmm? You've forced my hand, then. Shizuka, Gappy, and Giorno, you three are to remain here with everyone else, and are responsible for the upkeep of the ship and the health of those forced to remain behind."

"What?! That's sooooooo not fair!" Shizuka objected.

"It's dangerous up there, and I'd rather you not be killed by a race of people you know nothing about." snapped Murasa. Shizuka fell into a brooding silence.

Gappy and Giorno took their duties in stride, for which Murasa was thankful. She knew she could trust them with taking care of things, at the very least.

"As for the rest of us, if we do get to the moon, be on guard. We never know what's in the Lunar Capital, and there will be no difference between friend or foe, as far as we're concerned-"

"That's all well and dandy," interrupted Joseph. "But where will we even begin to ask about getting to the moon? This land is huge, you know, and we don't have the time to search every suspicious nook and cranny."

"The smartest course of action would be to ask someone directly involved in the Kanjuden Incident. Reimu Hakurei and Reisen Inaba are both a no-go, as Eientei is currently still in shambles, and the Hakurei Shrine is busy trying to keep order. I wouldn't know where to find Marisa Kirisame, so she's out. Therefore, Sanae Kochiya of the Moriya Shrine is our best hope." said Murasa.

"A shrine, huh? Sounds boring. Are you sure this person can actually help us?" said Jotaro, raising his eyebrow.

"Nope. But it never hurts to try, right?" Murasa said with a grin. "There's not much else we can do, anyway, so let's get going. The faster we get to that shrine, the faster we can hopefully get to the moon, and by extension, the faster we can save Gensokyo!"

As soon as she started to make preparations to leave, Josuke hobbled onto the top deck, supported by a crutch, Erina in tow behind him.

"Josuke, darling, you simply  _must_ stay in bed!" she shouted after him.

He ignored her and marched up to Murasa best as as he could. He was livid.

"I don't know where you all are about to go, but I'm  _not_ getting left behind. There's no way in hell."


	13. Chapter 13

Josuke's breathing was heavy and punctuated by tiny gasps, and the crudely made crutch under his arm was supporting most of his weight. His face was awash with anger, and his hair was messy and disheveled.

"You're in no shape to go anywhere, Josuke. Let Erina patch you up." said Murasa, unfazed by his threats.

"No. I'm going with you guys. What if something happens and I'm not there to help?! What if someone gets hurt?" he spat, trying to conceal the waver in his voice.

"No one is going to get hurt except for you, Josuke, if you keep being stubborn. Return below decks with Erina. That's an order."

"And what're you gonna do if I don't, _huh_?" he said, gritting his teeth and stepping closer to her.

"Don't you worry your little head about it, _pretty boy_." Murasa said venomously, stepping to meet him.

Despite him being at least a foot and a half taller than her, Murasa knew she could take him in a fight. He was all talk. It wasn't honorable, but she didn't care, at this point. Someone had to put him in his place, and Erina sure as hell wasn't going to do it. However, a sword split the little bit of space between them. They both turned simultaneously to see Shizuka, slightly crossed.

"Listen. We're all a little antsy, seeing as great grandpa Jonathan is not at his best right now. But that's no excuse for this nonsense. Now, Josuke, you listen to Captain Minamitsu. She's looking out for you, and you should be grateful for that." she scolded. "And as for you, Captain Minamitsu, don't let things like this get a rise out of you. Be the bigger person, and let it go."

"But Shizu, she-"

"Shizuka, I-"

A small bit of hamon crackled up the length of the blade, its snaps and pops expressing what words couldn't. The both of them could feel her glare pierce through her sunglasses straight into their souls. They both looked at eachother, abashed that a 12 year old had to set them straight. Neither of them said a word as Erina gently took Josuke by the arm and led him away. Shizuka sheathed her sword and sighed.

"Honestly, his temper is gonna put him in serious danger one of these days. I wish he'd take better care of himself." she huffed. "But that's not the issue at hand. Don't we have somewhere to be?"

Murasa didn't have to be told twice. She sprung into action, and the Palanquin was smoothly sailing in almost no time.

As they docked, a mountain loomed over them, looking almost menacing. Close to its peak, the Moriya Shrine dutifully sat, barely in their line of sight.

"We have to climb a _mountain_?!" Joseph exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "I did _not_ sign up for this!"

"If you'd rather stay behind, you could _always_ swap places with Giorno or Gappy. I'm sure Jonathan and Josuke would more than appreciate it." Murasa retorted.

He gave an indignant huff, but said nothing more. Murasa strolled over to the base of the mountain, hoping they wouldn't have to do too much actual climbing. To her relief, a roughly hewn dirt path wound this way and that, leading to what Murasa hoped was the top. They slowly began their ascent, stopping along the way to admire the gorgeous scenery. Autumn leaves tumbled playfully in the wind, dotting the paths ahead with red, orange, yellow, and brown speckles. The smell of baked sweet potatoes lingered in the air, and they had passed a waterfall that overflowed with crystal clear water. The dirt path eventually turned into stone, and the group came to a skinny pavillion, with towering spires supporting its high roof. At its end were stairs that extended out the rest of the way. With a sigh of discontent, they ascended them. Reaching the top, they all broke out into tired smiles. The Moriya Shrine looked more welcoming than ever. A girl with green hair and blue clothes with white speckles was sweeping out front. She looked up and cheerily waved.

"Hello! Welcome to the Moriya Shrine! How can I help you all today?" she said, walking over to properly greet them.

"Are you Sanae?" Murasa asked.

"Aye, that's me. Need a youkai exterminated? Or a miracle performed? Perhaps you'd like to make a-"

"We need to know how you got to the Lunar Capital." Jotaro said bluntly.

Sanae almost dropped her broom in surprise, and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"I-I... Uh... W-why'd you f-f-figure I'd know?" she stammered.

"You went to fight Junko and the hell faeries, did you not?" said Murasa.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Either way, it's none of your business."

"Work with us here, Sanae. The fate of Gensokyo hangs in the balance, here."

"...I crossed through the dreamworld." she hesitantly explained, leaning onto the handle of her broom. "Look for a girl named Ringo, at the lake near here. She'll lead you to Doremy. After you meet her, she'll help you out, for a price."

"We're not looking for apples or musical notations." said Jotaro. "Either give us some actual help, or point us to someone who can."

"No, not _ringo_ and _do re mi_ , _Ringo_ , who is a moon rabbit, and _Doremy_ , the manager of the Dream World. Her last name is Sweet." snapped Sanae.

"What do we do once we get into the Lunar Capital?" said Murasa hastily.

"That, I can't tell you. You'll just have to figure it out. The Lunarians are a difficult bunch, and there's no guarantee they'll actually help you. Your best bet would be to look for a lunar sage." she paused, a grimace on her face. "I don't know what you're going to the Lunar Capital for, but... I wish you all the best."

And with that, she sped off into the the shrine, leaving her broom to clatter loudly on the ground.


	14. Chapter 14

The group had wandered for hours, going around and around and around in circles, but they finally came upon the seemingly fabled lake. A rabbit sat cross legged at the opposite bank, her white ears bobbing up and down with the movement of her head. The chocolaste brown beret nestled between them didn't do much to keep them in place, but it matched nicely with her electric yellow hair. She held a yellow and brown shirt (similar to the one she was wearing) and a washboard in one hand, and a stick with white dango in the other. The sun began to set lower in the sky. She noticed this, stuck the entire dango stick into her mouth, and began to scrub and chew simultaneously with vigor. Her hands moved at the speed of light, and her shirt was squeaky clean before the sun even dared to kiss the mountain tops. She cleanly removed the leftover bamboo stick and picked at her teeth a bit with it. She then wiped the sweat off her forehead, and looked up to see her unannounced visitors.

"Well, I'll be! 'S been a while since I've had comp'ny." she said, her voice loud despite the drawl hanging off of it. "Don't be shy, I don't bite."

Murasa skirted around the edge of the lake, slightly suspicious of her. The rabbit extended a hand, and in it was another dango stick, this one green and white.

"Go on, have some. Does a body good." she said while patting her stomach.

She took it cautiously, and pulled off one of the green dango. It seemed normal enough, albeit, it was stickier than what she was used to. She shrugged and popped it into her mouth, chewing decidedly. It was slightly minty, and didn't stick to the roof of her mouth, like she expected.

"Good, right?" she waved the others over. "Y'all come on over!"

They slowly inched around, and she gave them a hospitable smile.

"I don't have enough to give everybody a full one of their own, but I've got enough for each of y'all to have a single one."

With that, she held out a long bamboo stick with 9 multicolored dango skewered onto it.

"I almost forgot to introduce myself! I'm Ringo, a rabbit from the moon. Nice to meet y'all."

Everyone was too busy chewing to give a proper response, so they only nodded. Ringo smirked a bit. 

"Y'all look dead tired, and you wouldn't come all this way for nothing," she stood. "I'll let y'all rest up a bit in the probe I came here on. We can talk business in the morning."

Murasa and her crew thanked her profusely, and she simply waved them off.

"'S jus hospitality. Y'all rest easy now."

As sleep tugged at her eyelids, Murasa swore she saw Ringo snicker.

* * *

 

She had ended up in space for her dream, which was quite unusual, but welcome, considering her typical nightmares. As she floated about aimlessly, she felt her arms degenerate into limp jelly. Her crew was a little ways away, bumbling about confusedly. A girl with a bright red cap and a swishing tail addressed them, her voice surreal and yet, quite serene.

"No, come this way! Not- Ugh. Forget it. Your nightmares weren't worth eating anyway."

She spotted Murasa, and made her way over, a hungry gleam in her eye.

"Now, as for _you_... I'll _definitely_ eat your drea- Wait a moment..." she said, looking Murasa up and down. "You're awake! Or... at least, your spirit is. The last person who did that wanted to get to the Lunar Capital. Is it safe to assume that you want the same?"

Murasa nodded sluggishly. Her brain felt like much and all of the words she wanted to say liquefied as soon as they touched her voice box.

"I see, I see. And those lugs, over there," she jerked a thumb behind her. "You want me to send them too, yes~?"

The dreamy figure chuckled for a bit at Murasa's struggle, and pointed behind her a little ways away.

"Make your way over that way, and you'll end up at the Lunar Capital. Though, I do recommend heeding their dictations to the letter. It won't end well for you if you don't."

Murasa managed to ask the strange girl for her name, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't keep herself from slurring.

"My name? Doremy. Doremy Sweet."

"Do... Re... Mi?"

"Fa-So-La-Ti-Do." she replied smugly. "But in all seriousness, I'm Doremy, the manager of Gensokyo's dreamworld."

Even if she wanted to, Murasa couldn't question her, as she had began to float away. Doremy politely waved at her, smiling cheekily all the while. She slowly extended a hand, but her vision blurred it into a pale blob. The silence was killing her, and as she floated along, frigid air wrapped itself around her, chilling her to her core. The atmosphere had woke her up a bit, and she turned to see pure whiteness contrasting against a black sky speckled with tiny sparkles. She began to kick her feet, reaching out to it.

_Just a little longer._

_Just a little while longer._

Murasa repeated this over and over as the moon's surface came closer and closer. The outlines of craters jutted out of the blinding white, jagged and of an unknown depth. It was in one of the more shallow ones that she made contact with solid ground. She rolled down the side, holding her arms up to her face to protect it from the dust. As she stood and coughed away the last bit of the glittery cloud that had formed, she could see the towering spires of a city rising into the depths of space. Her crew shortly made their way down as well, still half asleep from the journey over. Murasa climbed up to the edge of the crater and the rest of the city came into view, imposing on the landscape, and yet fitting, in some odd way.

"We're here." she whispered as she sat on the crater's edge. "The Lunar Capital."


	15. Chapter 15

They came upon a gate guarded by two moon rabbits with spears, who crossed them at the hilt as they approached.

"Halt. Where do you all think you're going?" they said in perfect unison.

"...Into the Lunar Capital?" said Murasa.

"Not a chance. Leave." they responded.

"We simply cannot, ladies. We've got business here—" attempted Joseph, easygoing and casual.

One of the rabbits pointed her spear dangerously close to his neck, and his hands flew up instinctively. Her upper lip was curled into a cruel snarl, and her eyes were cold and lifeless.

"I don't care. Leave, or we'll make you leave."

"And what're you gonna do? Hop at us a bunch?" asked Jotaro sarcastically.

They didn't seem to take very kindly to this, and suddenly there was a battle of raised voices, indignant squeaks, and empty threats between the gatekeepers and the travelers. The gates suddenly burst open, and a girl with one wing and short silver hair walked out, a hand on her hip.

"What's all this fuss about? I can hear you all from inside." she said.

All at once, everyone tried to speak, their hands gesticulating wildly. The woman wasn't paying them any attention, instead choosing to focus her accusatory gaze on Murasa. It made her extremely uncomfortable, but she stood her ground, looking her directly in the eye. The girl eventually whispered something to the two moon rabbits, and they stood down, visibly irritated.

"You all. Come with me." she said, already on her way to wherever they had to go.

They all jogged behind her, struggling to keep up. She took no notice of this, and kept up her brisk pace. All around them, whispers and snickers sounded from the shadows. Clearly, Lunarians were quick to judge, and were always trying to out gossip each other. Murasa tried to keep her head held high, but she couldn't help being reminded of her village. She shook off the negative memories as best as she could, and focused on the task at hand. The girl had stopped in front of a small house, hidden away in an alley. She pressed her ear against the door, listened intently for a moment, and pushed it open with a click.

"I'm home!" she shouted to no one in particular. 

She beckoned her guests inside, and flopped down on a couch. Out of a table next to one of its arms, she got a notepad and a pen. She scribbled something on it, and handed it to Murasa.

_'I  am Sagume Kishin, a Lunar Sage.'_  it read.  _'Everything I say gets reversed, somehow, so in order to speak with you properly, I must communicate in this way.'_

She took the notepad back, and wrote more.

_'Now, the reason I've decided to help you, is because I recognized someone among your ranks. The one with the green scarf. The humans that I granted sanctuary have mentioned him many a time, so I know that anyone with him must be trustworthy. In fact, that's why I had to do so much to open the door. Non-Lunarians aren't welcome here, especially ones that just appear out of thin air, so I have to keep them a secret. Every time I leave, I worry that when I come back, I won t hear their voices behind the door. But, that never comes to pass, thank the stars. In any case, what business do you have in this place, fair travelers? We don't get many visitors who hail from Gensokyo.'_

"We're here to find Hecatia Lapislazuli. Someone's been kidnapping people all over Gensokyo, and if they aren't stopped, it might be catastrophic." explained Murasa. "We saved one of them, and they pointed us in this direction."

_'I see. I do, in fact, know something about her whereabouts. The last place I saw her was-'_

All of a sudden, someone cleared their throat at the top of the stairs. Sagume's head snapped to look at the source of the noise, and she held her breath.

"Really, Sagume, if you're going to be out for a while, it would't kill you to leave a note. You had us worried sick." they said, their voice getting louder as they descended the stairs. 

"And it wouldn't kill  _you_  to let someone know you're okay  _when they enter the house_." She let out a relieved chuckle. "Come say hello to our guests."

A man with blonde hair and pink triangle shaped birthmarks on his cheeks leaned on the banister, his lip curled in amusement. Behind him stood a woman with long black hair and even darker sunglasses, her arms gently folded. She, too, had a gentle smile on her face. Joseph's eyes widened, and a grin crept onto his face.

"Caesar! Lisa Lisa! You two are the last people I expected to see." He said, failing to conceal the excitement in his voice.

"I could say the same about you, JoJo. Where've you been, huh?" teased Caesar.

"Oh, nowhere special, just on a totally awesome ship." Joseph bragged.

"A ship, eh? I'll assume that that girl in green and white is its captain, unless you usurped her position?" he responded.

"I sure am. Joseph couldn't take candy from a baby, let alone a position from a seasoned captain like me." Murasa said.

Joseph glared at her, and she smirked at him. 

"Everything checks out, then. Clearly, I can trust you all." Sagume said. "Now, about Hecatia..."

She wrote one more thing on the piece of paper that she was working with earlier, and proceded to tear it off. Murasa took it from her, and read it aloud.

"Go to the Sea of Tranquility. You will find Hecatia there for sure."

"However," interjected Sagume, "Be wary, as purified hell faeries are surely running amok, and they'll definitely be protecting her. If you do encounter one, there will be more that come, so avoid them altogether. And... Caesar, Lisa Lisa, accompany them. You two are more familiar with the moon than they are, and I can't just up and leave the Lunar Capital to be their guide."

The pair nodded solemnly, and descended the stairs to join the group. Caesar slung his arm around Joseph's shoulder.

"Looks like we're on another adventure together, JoJo. Try not to get in my way." he said jokingly.

"I'm better off saying that to you." Joseph coyly replied.

"Be careful out there." Sagume said, her voice laden with worry. Her well wishes fell on mostly deaf ears, save for one person.

"We will, Sagume. Don't worry about us." Lisa Lisa coolly responded, her back turned towards the Lunar Sage. "I have faith that we'll return safely."

And with that, the door was shut, leaving the one-winged Sage to fret over their safety in solitude.


	16. An Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn't really a chapter. I've got some important stuff to say about this story, and that's about it-

**_Hello there! I haven't updated this story in a long time, but I do have some good news:_**  
**_I'm doing a rewrite!_**  
**_This will include..._**  
**_-Better pacing_**  
**_-Longer chapters_**  
**_-Fixing any canon contradicting mistakes I've had_**  
**_-Less biased interpretations of the characters_**  
**_And a lot more stuff! I'm really, really sorry to do this in the middle of an important story arc, but it'll improve things in the long run, and I'm sure you all will enjoy it much more than you did at first._**

**_In the meantime, I'll be updating other stories of mine, so stay tuned for those, too!_ **

**_Thank you for your patience,_**  
**_-Monoko_**


End file.
